Door closer for swing doors

ABSTRACT

1,158,968. Door closing and checking device. VEREINIGTE BAUBESCHLAGFABRIKEN GRETSCH &amp; CO. G.m.b.H. 16 Oct., 1967 [12 Nov., 1966], No. 47013/67. Heading E2M. A door closing and checking device of the kind comprising a closer spindle 4 which extends out of a housing and to which is secured a lever 15 to be connected to a door, having a closing cam 7 mounted on the spindle and engaged by a closing cam follower (lever 8, roller 9) loaded by a closing spring, and a checking cam 5 mounted on the closer spindle and engaging a checking cam follower (lever 10, roller 11) for transmitting forces between. the closer spindle and a hydraulic damping arrangement which includes a damping cylinder and piston 6, and wherein the closer spindle (see Fig. 5) can make limited rotational movements (via application surfaces 12) in relation to the checking cam (surfaces 13, 14), is characterized in that an elastically-yieldable braking means is interposed to act between the closer spindle and the checking cam so as to retard the said limited rotational movements. The braking means may be:-(i) a dished spring 23 (Fig. 1) which presses the checking cam against a stop shoulder 21 on the spindle and bears on a sleeve 22 pressed on to the spindle, (ii) a rubber peg 28 (Figs. 4 and 5) held in bores 26, 27 in a projection on the closer spindle and in the checking cam, or (iii) a steel ball 31 (Fig. 6) with a helical spring 30 arranged to press the ball into recess 33. The invention prevents chattering noises which otherwise occur during swinging motion of the door through the closed position.

Aug. 26, 1969 R. VOESTER ET DOOR CLOSER FOR SWING DOORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. x, 1967 INVENTORS;

ATTORNEY Aug. 26, 1969". R. VOESTER ET AL v 3,462,791

DOOR CLOSER FOR SWING DOORS Filed Nov. 1, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 INVENTORs;

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,462,791 noon CLOSER FOR SWING DOORS Reinhold Voester, Stuttgart-Degerloch, and Wolfgang Schmid, Stuttgart-Feuerbach, Germany, assiguors to Vereinigte Baubeschlagfabriken Gretsch & Co. GmbH Leonberg, Wurttemherg, Germany Filed Nov. 1, 1967, Ser. No. 679,787 Claims priority, application Germany, Nov. 12, 1966, V 32,345 Int. Cl. E05f 3/20 US. CI. 1655 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In a door closer for swing doors including a closer spindle and a cam for controlling damping means of the closer and mounted on the spindle for limited turning movement with respect thereto about the spindle axis, the provision of elastically yieldable brake means between the spindle and the cam for braking relative movement of the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a door closer for swing doors and including a closer spindle and a cam acting on damping means of the closer and being mounted on the closer spindle for relative movement with respect thereto about the spindle axis. In many closer constructions known in the art the damping action of the damping means ceases shortly before the door reaches its closed positions because the pressure roll or cam follower of the damping means reaches, in the closed position of the door, the apex of the aforementioned cam, while the piston in the damping cylinder reaches its dead center position. By mounting the cam tiltable about the axis of the closer spindle, it is possible to obtain also a damping action in the closed position of the door. In known constructions, the cam snaps quickly over during passing of the door through its closed position so that disagreeable clicking noises are created during oscillating movement of the door.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome these disadvantages of door closer constructions of the aforementioned kind.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a door closer construction in which clicking noises during passage of the swing door through its closed position, as well as wear on the acting faces of the damping cam, are considerably reduced and in which a soft substantially shock free operation of the closer is obtained.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION With these objects in view, the door closer according to the present invention for swing doors mainly comprises a closer spindle member, a cam member adapted to act on damping means and being mounted on the closer spindle member for limited turning movement relative thereto about the spindle axis, and elastically yieldable brake means between the spindle member and the cam member for braking relative movement between the members.

The brake means may comprise a friction element between the aforementioned members and a spring arranged to increase the friction between the element and at least one of the members. The friction element and the spring can be constituted by a single element and in a preferred construction the cam member is mounted on the spindle member also movable in axial direction and the spindle member is provided with an abutment engageable by the cam member during movement in the aforementioned direction, whereas the spring is in the form of a spring washer engaging the cam member and biased by means fixed to the spindle member in a direction in which the cam member is pressed against the abutment on the spindle member. The means for biasing the spring may be in the form of a coaxial sleeve press fitted to the spindle member and the cam member may be formed with a substantial cylindrical recess forming a shoulder against which the outer periphery of the spring washer, located in the recess, is pressed. This arrangement provides for a simple construction with sufliciently large friction faces for braking the relative movement of cam and closer spindle and the wear of the arrangement during extended use will be rela tively small since the cam is usually hardened.

The brake means according to the present invention may also be in the form of a pin of elastomeric material connected at opposite end portions to the closer spindle and the cam. During relative movement of cam and spindle, the pin will be elastically deformed to produce thereby a braking or damping action on the relative movement of cam and spindle. When the closer spindle is integrally formed with another cam for controlling a closure spring of the door closer, then the aforementioned end portions of the pin may preferably be snugly received in opposite bores provided in the two cams.

The braking force may be easily adapted to a force as necessary for the door closer arrangement when the friction element is in the form of a hardened ball and the spring in the form of a coil spring pressing the ball into a recess formed in one of the members. In this case an arrangement is especially advantageous in which the ball and the coil spring are located in a bore formed in a cam member for the closer spring of the door closer and in which the cam for the damping means is provided with a corresponding recess located opposite the bore in the first mentioned cam. This recess is preferably conical so that during relative movement of the cam in which the recess is formed and the closer spindle, the ball will be moved in axial direction to thereby compress the spring. By properly choosing the spring characteristics and the conicity of the conical recess braking a force of desired magnitude may be obtained.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a partial axial cross section through a door closer for a swing door and illustrating one embodiment of brake means according to the present invention for braking relative movement between the closer spindle and a cam adapted to act on damping means;

FIG. 2 is a cross section taken along the line IIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an axial cross section through the cam and taken along the line IIIIII of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial partially-sectioned front view illustrating the closer spindle and earns mounted thereon and a second embodiment of brake means according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a transverse cross section taken along the line VV of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a partially sectioned side view of an arrangement similar as shown in FIG. 4 and showing a third modification of the braking means according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings, and more specifically to FIGS. l3 of the same, it will be seen that the door closer according to the present invention illustrated in these three figures comprises a housing 1 receiving two coaxial bearings 2 and 3 in which a closer spindle 4 is turnably mounted. The closer spindle 4 carries a cam 5 for control of damping means of which only a piston rod 6 is illustrated in the drawing which is connected in a known manner to a piston reciprocably mounted in a cylinder of a damping means of known construction, not shown in the drawing. The closer spindle 4 carries further a cam 7 acting in a known manner on a closer spring of known construction not shown in the drawing. The cam 7 is preferably integrally formed with the closer spindle 4, whereas the cam 5 is mounted on the closer spindle for limited turning movement with respect thereto about the spindle axis. A lever 8 with a roller on cam follower 9 is located between the earn 7 and the closer spring (not shown in the drawing), whereas a lever 10 pivotally mounted at one end thereof in the housing 1 and carrying intermediate its ends a roller or cam follower 11 cooperating with the cam 5 is connected at the other end to the aforementioned piston rod 6 of the damping means to control the latter from the cam 5.

As mentioned before, the cam 5 is mounted on the closer spindle 4 for limited turning movement about the axis of the latter, for which purpose the portion of the closer spindle extending through an opening of the cam 5 is provided with a pair of opposite parallel faces 12, as best shown in FIG. 2, whereas the opening in the cam S has on opposite sides thereof faces 13 and 14 including an angle with each other and in which the coordinated faces 13 and 14 on opposite sides of the opening are respectively parallel to each other.

The arrangement is made in such a manner that when the door is turned to its closed position, the closer spindle 4 is turned by means of a lever 15 connected to the door to a position in which the faces 12 of the closer spindle are parallel to a connecting line 16 passing through the axis of the closer spindle 4 and the axis of the roller 11. The cam has, however, in this position of the closer spindle 4, not yet reached a position in which it is symmetrical with respect to the aforementioned line 16, but the roller 11 will, depending on the direction in which the door has moved to its closed position, still abut against one of the flanks 17 or 18 of the cam. This means that the damping piston has not yet reached its dead center position so that in the closed position of the door the damping arrangement will still exert a damping moment on the latter. Only when the door will move beyond its closed position, the roller 11 will move for instance from the flank 17 over the apex 19 of the cam onto the flank 18, whereby the cam 5 will tilt about the axis of the closer spindle from one of its positions in which for instance the faces 13 abut against the faces 12 of the closer spindle to a position in which the faces 14 will abut against the faces 12.

In known constructions of this type, this tilting move ment of the cam relative to the closer spindle will occur -very quickly to produce a clicking noise, whereas according to the present invention this tilting movement is braked by elastically yieldable brake means 20 so that the clicking noise and the wear on the aforementioned faces 12, 13 and 14 are reduced.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the earn 5 is mounted on the closer spindle 4 also movable in axial direction and the latter is provided with an abutment 21 against which the upper surface of the cam 5 is pressed by a spring washer 23 located in a recess 25 of the cam 5 and forming a shoulder face 24 (FIG. 3) against which the outer periphery of the spring washer 23 is pressed by a sleeve 22 press fitted onto the closer spindle. During relative movement of the cam 5 with respect to the closer spindle 4, the cam 5 will be in frictional engagement with the abutment 21 on the closer spindle as well as with the spring washer so that tilting movement of the cam 5 during oscillation of the door about its closed position will be braked. The brake means 20 in this embodiment are constituted by the spring washer forming a friction element and a spring. The faces 13 and 14 defining the opening in cam 5 will therefore not bang against the faces 12 of the closer spindle, and the arrangement will operate substantially shockfree and substantially without noise.

In a second embodiment according to the present invention illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings, the brake means 20 for braking relative movement of the cam 5 and the closer spindle 4 comprise a pin 28 of elastomeric material, for instance rubber, the end portions of which are respectively received in bores 26 and 27 formed in opposite portions of the cams 7 and 5. The pin 28 has intermediate its end portions which are received in the aforementioned bores a portion 29 of larger diameter reinforcing the pin between the end portions thereof and properly maintaining the end portions in the respective bores. During the relative movement of the cam 5 with respect to the closer spindle 4, the rubber pin will be twisted so that a braking force braking the relative movement of the cam 5 and closer spindle 4 is obtained.

In the third embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the brake means 20 are constituted by a coil compression spring 30 and a ball 31 located in a bore 32 of the earn 7 for the closer spring and guided therein. The earn 5 is formed in its top face 21 facing the cam 7 with a preferably conical recess 33 into which the bottom portion of the ball 31 is pressed by the spring 30. During relative movement of the cam 5 relative to the closer spindle 4, respectively the cam 7 fixed thereto, the ball 31 will be moved by the face of the conical recess 33 upwardly in axial direction whereby the spring 30 will be further compressed and thereby the resistance against the turning movement of the cams relative to each other be increased. By properly choosing the spring characteristic of the spring 30, respectively the cone angle of the recess 33, it is possible to vary the braking action obtained with the arrangement shown in FIG. 6 within wide limits.

The arrangement of the present invention has the advantages that clicking noises during oscillating movement of the swing door through its closed position will be practically omitted and the wear on the faces 12 of the closer spindle and corresponding faces 13 and 14 of the cam will be considerably reduced, so that the arrangement will operate trouble-free during extended use. The braking means producing these advantageous results are of simple construction so that the arrangement of the present invention may be manufactured at reasonable cost.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of door closers for swing doors differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a door closer for a swing door with brake means for braking movement of a cam controlling damping means about the closer axis, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features, that from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:

1. In a door closer for swing doors, in combination, a closer spindle member; a cam member adapted to act on damping means and being mounted on said closer spindle member for limited turning movement relative thereto about the axis of the spindle member; and elastically yieldable brake means between said spindle member and said cam member for braking relative movement between said members.

2. In a door closer as defined in claim 1, wherein said brake means comprise a friction element between said members and a spring arranged to increase the friction between said element and at least one of said members.

3. In a door closer as defined in claim 2, wherein said friction element and said spring are constituted by a single element.

4. In a door closer as defined in claim 3, wherein said cam member is mounted on said spindle member also movable in axial direction and wherein said spindle memher is provided with an abutment engageable by said cam member during movement in said axial direction, said brake means being in the form of a spring washer engaging said cam member and including means fixed to said spindle member and engaging the spring washer for biasing the latter in a direction to press the cam member against said abutment.

5. In a door closer as defined in claim 4, wherein said biasing means is in the form of a coaxial sleeve fixed to said spindle member and wherein said cam member is formed with a substantially cylindrical recess forming an annular shoulder transverse to the axis of said spindle member, and wherein said spring washer is located in said recess and is pressed with its outer periphery against said shoulder.

6. In a door closer as defined in claim 2, wherein said friction element is in the form of a hardened ball and said spring is in the form of a coil compressing spring pressing said ball into a recess formed in one of said members.

'7. In a door closer as defined in claim 6, and including a second cam member fixed to said spindle member and adapted to control a closer spring, said second cam member having a portion spaced from and opposite a portion of said first mentioned cam member, one of said cam members being formed in said portion thereof with a blind bore in which said spring and said ball are located and guided, and the other of said cam members being formed with a recess arranged to receive a portion of said ball and constructed in such a manner to move the ball, during relative movement of the movable cam relative to the closer spindle, in axial direction into said bore to thereby compress that coil spring to an increasing extent and to increase the braking force exerted by the spring.

In a door closer as defined in claim 1, wherein said brake means is in the form of an elastomeric pin connected at opposite end portions to said closer spindle member and said cam member, respectively.

9. In a door closer as defined in claim 8, and including a second cam member fixed to the said closer spindle member and adapted to control a closer spring, said second cam member having a portion opposite and spaced from a corresponding portion of said first-mentioned cam member, and wherein said opposite end portions of said e'lastorneric pin are snugly received in bores respectively provided in said opposite portions of said members.

10. In a door closer as defined in claim 9, wherein said pin has between said end portions an intermediate portion outside said bores and having a diameter larger than that of said end portions.

References (Jited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,603,818 7/1952 Carlson 16-55 3,210,796 10/1965 Voester et a1 16-55 3,273,196 9/1966 Voester et al 1655 DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner 

